If You Look Really Hard...

...you can see Cassiopeia on his back!

I didn't realise when I wrote the last blow entry on Thursday evening that boyo would wake up on Friday morning looking this this. Just what you need as you run into a hectic weekend. He looks pretty chipper with himself here, that's mainly because I took the  photo in the morning. By late afternoon the poor wee man is struggling.



Between dog walking, swimming and rugby, I've tried to entertain him as best I can. To be fair to him, he has been dragged round fields and parks with the dog in the pissing rain, and never complained once. In many ways, he's probably been much easier to handle without his mum being here, because then she would have to do it all. As it is, he's happy to let dad read the books and provide the cuddles.

 

It was bloody nippy this morning, but the boys still made their rugby, whilst I wandered away with my eldest and youngest children (too many little brothers and sisters around the rugby club to stay with chicken pox boy). I think he enjoyed the one on one time with big sis.



The lads enjoyed their rugby - I managed to get a few photos for mum. I've made a rip roaring arse of editing the last couple though, and because I'm very rushed and very late today, they'll have to go on just as they are. If she is half the woman I think she is, she'll sort them and re-upload them for me.

Neither boy was too enamoured about rugby this morning, I think because they knew I was taking big sister away to walk the dog. Once there though, it was a good session. Game on next week - and surprise surprise, I am away for the next fixture for the adults too, which has been arranged for a Friday night, so a hit on two fronts for me!



A Walk in the Park...Well, The Woods Actually.



We're almost in February, where did January go? Mrs W is back on the rigs earning her crust, which means it's my turn with the gruesome foursome. I have to admit, carrying round that camera along with the toddler and the hound is a bit of a grind, so I've included a few pictures taken in the last month (the first 3). The others were all taken when her ladyship had arrived offshore.

After spending much of the day berating other parents for being lazy sods and defaulting to amusing their kids with tablets (obviously we are faultless in every possible way;-)), I've resorted so some more amusing moments of late.

C's best attempt at simultaneously blinding me and ripping my nostrils off from the inside out. At least he had fun doing it...



There doesn't seem to be many pics of O at the moment, hence the inclusion of the one below. Is it because he is the forgotten middle child? Who knows, I'll leave MPLST to over analyse that in the way only she can.







Contrary to what everybody else thinks - I am not the boss here at SH.



Yesterday, R couldn't go to school (maybe that's why I got pictures of him and not O - are you still over analysing??) as he was on a 24 hour recovery. He actually wanted to, and was ready for school, but they wouldn't accept him back post a little vomiting episode. R doesn't do drama. Here's how it went....."Dad, I've been sick. I made it to the toilet though. Oh....I need to go again"....and off he ran. "Dad, I need to get to sleep now so I will have enough energy for school tomorrow." I awoke to find him at the breakfast table, assembling Lego with a good morning greeting of "I feel better, can I go to school today?"

The upside of not going to school meant he go to come for a walk in the woods with us. It's struck me over the last few days that my kids will walk almost anywhere, and we've only had the dog for a month or so. C doesn't care, so long as you go at his pace, and the big two already have plenty practice.



The novelty of the dog hasn't really worn off yet either. This was the scene after breakfast this morning.



Christmas Carnage

Mum went offshore on the 23rd of December this year, meaning dad was organiser in chief (for the actual big day itself - MPLST had done most of the ground work beforehand.) Neither of us are strangers to our respective roles this Christmas, for me looking after kids, for her spending festive holidays on an oil rig, but this was the first time MPLST had worked JC's birthday since she had kids, and therefore the first time I've been home alone so to speak at that time.

 

It started off so well - Mrs Santa had set all the gifts in groups, boxes and bags and all I had to so was deliver them. In the space of 10 hrs or so, it went from this...

 



 

...to this. Actually, it was nearer two really - we spent most of the day at the kitchen table.

 



 We got there with a lot of fun in between though...

The boys received their letter from Santa. He's pretty impressed with them this year apparently.

When you find a clementine in your stocking, clearly the world should stop so you can eat it immediately. No gift, even from Auld St Nick would stand between C and his clementine.

Later, as I said, we spent most of the day at the kitchen table playing with Santa's gifts. C and his Great Grandma are in deep conversation about how to play this game. I can't recall who had the last word in that one...

Just like this time last year, R spend hours building lego. His Santa list consisted of just 3 things (he cut it down himself from 5!). The boy will happily spend endless hours building lego. On Boxing day, he even got the offer of stopping to watch a movie, and go back to it, but the obviously takes pride in his work (probably gets that from his mother, bloody perfectionist) Oops, must be Christmas, there's a back handed compliment for the wife...

The finished article. Before dinner as well.

Meanwhile O floated back and fore between playing with his little brothers trains, and playing with his toys in the kitchen.

 

Everybody stopped for eats though. Looks half way civilised, don't you think?

 

After that, we embarked on opening the gifts under the tree. It's taken me a couple of days to get this post together, mainly for the wife's benefit. We've managed this Christmas apart thanks to Facetime and plenty of instant message conversations (clearly they need to work the Chemist a bit harder there!) Hopefully, she'll find time between lobster courses to see what it's like on the other side...

The boys have been fantastic this Christmas - but I must admit, between them and the puppy, I'm knackered. Roll on Monday.

Three Becomes Four

Meet the latest addition to our family unit. She joined us yesterday, aged just 8 weeks. As you would expect she is somewhat excitable, and that excitement can only be matched, if not bettered by that of my three boys.

Hopefully, there will be many happy years ahead. As yet, her name is not yet cast in stone, let's call her L for now. The fact that our youngest can say that particular name after one day, when he has only in the last week started to say his own, means it's likely a stick on, but we reserve the right to change our minds over the next few days.

You have to admire the sheer sense of comedic genius on my part here. Puppy arrives yesterday afternoon. School breaks off tomorrow lunch time. I have SS coming for the weekend tomorrow, and have her Christmas shopping to complete, before partaking in a family fun day at the rugby club on Sunday morning. Wife goes offshore Monday for a week, so it's the lads and I over the festive week looking after ourselves and a puppy. Would this outrageous turn of events not set the scene for a Ben Elton play perfectly....?

One thing is for certain, we'll have fun doing it. I dare say we'll have some rage, anger, joy and pleasure too somewhere in between. R has already spent some time reading and mastering his training techniques and is eager to try them out. O is somewhat weary of nippy little sharp teeth, whereas C just bulldozes the poor puppy out his way. They already seem to have built up a mutual respect for each others personal space those two...

It's very early days, but we'll see how it evolves.

Salobrena 2013

After pledging to stay at home this year, by Easter MPLST had booked a trip to Salobrena as the villa we stayed in last year was still available during the school holidays. Best decision she has made this year!

As you can see, O picked up exactly where he left off last year...

 

...but this time, encouraged his little brother to follow suit...

 

 

All of this on day one! Synchronised jumping was the theme...

 

Not to be outdone though, O decided he would be the first to dive! Something his big brother avoided trying all week.

Then, after jumping off my shoulders in the pool, we graduated to jumping off dad's shoulders from the edge of the pool! (He belly flopped this on one occasion, but amazingly, it didn't put him off!)

 

It wasn't all fun in the pool though, C managed to find some time in the shade to tell his Pirate friends all about his new room and big double bed.

 

Meanwhile back at the pool, dad thought he could lie back and relax, but O decided to "row" me around the pool. I say "row" although he called it "ride". You'll look back and laugh in 20 years pal...

 

At the beach, we found the best way to keep your kids together (other than a dog lead) is to let them walk on the wall...

 

When O got a little too pink, we found a park in the village suitable shaded. Best part about this? We went at two in the afternoon, when the village is practically desolate. We had the whole place to ourselves. The park itself was an adventure - like a step back in time to 70's Britain. Most things were broken, but Spain seems to allow common sense to prevail. I don't think blame culture has got there yet...

 

 I might not have been able to get much peace by the pool, but the park was a different story...

Mum's Boys...

Despite middle boy being coloured like his mother, they all browned well...

Slave labour. For the first time R started to help with the dishes. (The fact we used plastic ones most of the time obviously helped). At home we have a Belfast sink which he can't really reach into. Bless him, he is still naïve enough to enjoy this. How long do you think until his eyes start to roll at the thought.

He can still find time for a laugh with his old man though...

 

 This year, we all ventured down the hill for a walk. Even lazy bones joined us...

And in town, we walked all the way up to the castle. It was a job to keep up with some...

 

 Last but not least a snap by the beach. Proof the don't fight all say, every day!

 

All in all, a great holiday, R's swimming is coming on very well. Neither MPLST or I could swim like that at 7. O is almost there, we swam a few lengths every day without armbands, he just needs a little more confidence. C found his pool mojo again after us being a bit slack over the summer with our visits.